photo credit:  Andrew Davidhazy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Drop Formation

This photo shows the formation of a long neck, which is produced by surface tension. Notice how the drop makes a small inverted image of its shadow.

For a related and well-illustrated site on drops and surface tension, see Drop Formation. Also, you might enjoy this movie of water dripping slowly from a tap.

To make a water drop magnifier, visit Kitchen Science Experiments: Drop Magnifier.

This feature was updated on July 5, 2013.

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Electrical Fleas

Try this Exploratorium activity, "Electrical Fleas," to investigate static electricity. For a related Exploratorium activity, see "Charge and Carry."

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This image is in the public domain. Image source.

Roentgen Discovers X-Rays

This photo (hi-res version) is one of the first x-ray images, made by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. It shows the bones in his wife's hand. To learn a lot about the early history of x-rays, see this pdf from Stanford University.

Life on Earth and Elsewhere

Visit the SolStation site Life on Earth and Elsewhere to learn about the origin and history of life on Earth and the possibility that life might evolve elsewhere in the solar system. To learn more, see the NOVA site How Did Life Begin?.